Introverts Don’t Hate People

One of the most common responses that I get when I tell people I wrote a book about networking is a simple, “Oh…well I’m an introvert…so that probably doesn’t work for me.” And over time, I’ve learned to answer that excuse with a trick question.

“Well, do you hate people?”

I have yet to meet an introvert who says they hate people. And that’s great, because networking at its core is really just about caring for people.

But I’ve met a lot of people who mistakenly think that they do. Introverts LOVE people. They just interact differently than the extroverts that so often unwelcomely dominate conversations, networking events, business meetings, and just about everything else.

Introverts love people differently.

Introversion and extroversion actually have nothing to do with one’s affinity (or lack thereof) for people. Instead, it’s a personality trait that refers to whether or not your draw energy from socialization. Extroverts draw energy from being around people and lose energy from being alone; introverts draw energy from being alone and lose energy from being around too many people. Neither of those personality traits says anything about much you love those around you.

But, ironically, building relationships with others may be a place where introverts actually have the…